Team Spirit

Chapter 247 The World's First Handover Ceremony
In the 61st minute, England took a goal kick.

Ashley Cole launched an attack with a long pass from the backcourt.

Lu Kai sprinted quickly, weaving between Juan and Cafu, and caught up with the ball in the left corner flag area.

Cafu moved closer to provide physical support for Lu Kai.

Juan positioned himself on the inner flank, seeking stability.

As a result, Lu Kai's ability to fight was stronger than that of the aging Cafu.

With his back to Cafu, he constantly adjusted his footwork, and finally, with a bump and a turn, he successfully bypassed Cafu and charged along the baseline towards the penalty area.

Juan immediately rushed towards Lu Kai.

Gilbert Silva then dropped back to the defense.

Joe Cole and Ashley Young both charged into the six-yard box.

Lu Kai made a cross pass.

Gilbert Silva's diving block changed the direction of the ball, creating an opportunity for a shot on goal.

"Oh! The football grazed the far post and rolled out of bounds. Gilbert Silva almost scored an own goal."

"The Brazilian team is lucky."

"Lu Kai almost completed a hat trick."

"As time went by, Brazil's relentless attack left them with stamina issues. As a result, their defensive performance dropped significantly, and many players were unable to get into position in time."

"When defending, the speed of pursuit also slows down."

The characteristics of South American teams were evident.

"Huh? Cafu... Cafu seems to be injured!"

The Brazilian team doctor entered the field from the sidelines.

Cafu was subsequently confirmed to be injured and forced to retire.

Former Green Guns star Maicon came on as a substitute.

In fact, Maicon's performance for the club this season has surpassed that of Cafu.

However, Cafu's greater reputation allowed him to outrank Maicon in the national team's roster.

Considering the players' physical condition and the score, the Brazilian team also made a substitution.

Robinho replaced Juninho, who had a yellow card.

In effect, the Brazilian team changed their formation to 4-2-1-3.

The attacking trident consisted of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, and Robinho.

The halberd handle is a kaka.

Kaka: ? ? ?
Robinho is better suited to operating on the right wing, where his dribbling and cutting inside are always effective.

But there's no way around it; Ronaldinho, Zidane, Nedved, Lu Kai, and others are among the best left-sided players in the world, and there's no reason for them to give up their positions.

However, if they actually start playing, Ronaldinho will definitely switch positions with Robinho and launch cross-attacks.

In the 65th minute, Kaká delivered a through ball to Ronaldo.

Ronaldo took a long stride and used a step-back to shake off Carrick, successfully breaking through.

But Carrick stuck to Ronaldo closely from behind, providing some resistance.

Ronaldo suddenly fell forward near the edge of the penalty area, attempting to claim a penalty.

Terry then passed the ball to Beckham.

The referee also indicated that the match should continue.

Beckham looked up and sent a long pass with his right foot.

Ashley Young was speeding down the right flank, riding a motorcycle at breakneck speed.

Carlos had already rushed to the frontcourt.

Ze Roberts was left far behind by Ashley Young.

Gilbert Silva chased back in the middle, but was also far behind Ashley Young in terms of position.

Only Lucio can step up and defend Ashley Young one-on-one.

boom!
Ashley Young delivered a cross with his right foot, a scimitar motion.

Lucio could only watch the ball go in frustration.

In the middle, Lu Kai and Juan made a run and broke into the penalty area.

Lu Kai has the upper hand and is in a better position.

However, Juan provided ample challenge, making it impossible for Lu Kai to complete a high-level shot under such circumstances.

At the crucial moment, Lu Kai charged at Juan, confident that Juan would not dare to retreat at this time and would not be called for an offensive foul.

As expected, Juan also put in effort, but he didn't expect Lu Kai to be so fierce and was pushed aside.

Lu Kai exerted force with both feet, but naturally could not score.

But after knocking Juan aside, a passage was opened for the ball.

He smoothly scooped the ball backwards and set it for the left side.

Joe Cole rushed up and took a low shot towards the goal.

Dida made a save attempt, but was unable to prevent the goal.

"GOAL! Joe Cole has scored!"

"This is an assist from Lu Kai."

"England launched a beautiful counter-attack."

"Three to one! They've practically secured the victory!"

The camera immediately focused on Ronaldo, because the goal stemmed from his loss of possession.

He should have scored—if he were a few years younger.

One step to heaven, one step to hell.

Football can be cruel at times.

Vardy kept shaking his head on the bench: "Ronaldo is getting old."

"This goal would be very difficult to get a penalty in La Liga."

Guardiola also remarked, "The key is that he had actually gotten past Carrick, but as soon as he saw the edge of the penalty area, he wanted to head the ball in."

"The key is that Ronnie fell a little too slowly."

"It's good that the referee didn't give him a yellow card for diving."

England then made a substitution.

Hargreaves replaced Beckham.

The former has stronger defensive capabilities.

This means holding onto the 2-1 lead.

In the 73rd minute, Ronaldinho indeed switched positions with Robinho.

Robinho's impact on Neville was different from Ronaldinho's.

Neville was caught off guard and was easily cut past.

But Carrick and Hargreaves quickly filled in when the two defensive midfielders were positioned.

Robinho didn't see an opportunity and moved wide to the right.

The microphone is already plugged in.

In England's goal just now, Maicon was clearly not in form yet and failed to contain Joe Cole, so he bears some responsibility for conceding the goal.

But this time Maicon quickly capitalized on his strengths and contributed on the offensive end.

boom!
Maicon crosses from the wing.

The quality is very high.

Unfortunately, Ronaldo and Kaká were inside the penalty area.

Neither of them are known for their heading ability.

Ferdinand leaped high and headed the ball away to the other side.

Ronaldinho was brave, heading the ball back in a triangular fashion at the far post.

Terry turned to help, but Ronaldo held him back.

Robinho rushes towards the ball and shoots with his right foot.

boom!
The football bounced off Ferdinand at close range.

"Beautiful defense! Ferdinand demonstrated his dominance in this defensive play."

"Many England players have long been hailed as the next Ferdinand, such as Woodgate, Lescott, and Curtis Davies."

"But there are no players who have truly reached Ferdinand's level yet."

Off the field, the Brazilian team began to get anxious.

After all, they were down by two goals, and time was running out.

So they used their last substitution.

Adriano replaces Kaká!
It can be viewed as a four-striker formation, or it can still be seen as a 4-2-1-3 formation, only with Ronaldinho as the striker.

In fact, judging from his current form, Kaka is in better shape than Ronaldo.

Adriano is the best choice to replace Ronaldo. His individual ability is no less than Ronaldo's, and he has advantages in stamina, strength, height, and heading ability, which meets the current needs of the Brazilian team.

But everyone knows this is Ronaldo's last World Cup, and more likely his last World Cup match. Even if you replace Ronaldinho, you can't replace Ronaldo.

Kaka became a victim of this balance.

Such situations have existed extensively in the past and will continue to exist in the future; they are not unusual.

In the 82nd minute, Lucio made a through pass to Ze Roberto.

The latter, with his back to Hargreaves, half-turned and sent a through ball.

Ronaldo, who had dropped back, received the ball and advanced down the left flank.

He wasn't fast, but Carrick was on high alert and dared not relax.

After all, this is the former world number one, and we can't be careless at any time.

Sure enough, Ronaldo used a shoulder drop feint, followed by a series of fakes, seemingly cutting inside to the right, but actually cutting to the left. Carrick, who was defending in front, and Hargreaves, who was chasing from behind, were both fooled to the right.

Ronaldo dribbled the ball straight towards the penalty area, and also had the opportunity to shoot from long range.

Terry immediately rushed out of the penalty area, spreading his legs to make a sliding tackle, expanding his defensive coverage.

Turns out he was right.

Because Ronaldo made another feint.

If Vanter's legs hadn't spread that wide, Ronaldo would have been able to dribble past them.

That would create a one-on-one situation inside the penalty area.

Fortunately, Terry tripped Ronaldo.

The referee blew the whistle.

Terry received a yellow card.

"Oh, then England's next match will be in trouble."

“Key defensive players Terry and Carrick will both miss the semi-finals due to accumulated yellow cards.”

"Ronaldo won a free kick for Brazil just outside the penalty area, a pretty good position, but..."

"The ball was a little too close to the goal; it wasn't as easy to hit as everyone thought."

“Two months ago, Lu Kai and Juninho played in this position respectively.”

"Lu Kai scored, and Juninho almost scored."

On the Brazilian bench, Juninho Jr. nervously stood up.

His expression was priceless.

At this moment, he desperately wished he were still on the field.

Because he was certain he could score that goal.

For the past two months, he has been studying Lu Kai's stunning goal against Lyon.

"I can do it, let me do it! Let me do it!" Juninho Jr. kept muttering to himself, as if he had gone mad.

Kaka stood to the side, feeling somewhat emotional, but unsure what to say.

On the field, Ronaldinho and Maicon stood on either side of the football.

But everyone knows that Ronaldinho will definitely be the one to kick that ball.

Maicon's status is not high enough.

Upon seeing Ronaldinho's expression, Juninho knew he was in trouble: "You can't shoot directly at the goal, you won't score!"

"This ball only deserves one tactical free kick opportunity. Pass it to Adriano on the side and let him take a powerful shot."

Juninho Jr. could see Ronaldinho's determination to win.

But I just couldn't score.

Apart from Lu Kai and Juninho himself, no one could say they were confident at this moment.

Meanwhile, Lu Kai was communicating with his team's defensive wall.

Soon, the referee blew his whistle, and Ronaldinho took a short run-up and charged toward the ball.

boom!
Ronaldinho didn't need to feint; he fired straight at the target.

The free kick, curling gracefully, easily cleared the wall, going almost a meter higher than it.

"It's over!"

Juninho was heartbroken.

The England wall didn't jump on that ball.

Instead, he was preparing to move to prevent Ronaldinho from passing the ball to Adriano, who would then unleash a powerful shot.

However, Ronaldinho's free kick was taken based on the height of the England team's wall jumping.

Even if the Englishmen jump, the football can still get over the wall.

From this perspective, Ronaldinho's footwork is undoubtedly excellent.

But under normal circumstances, no matter how good the footwork is, at this distance, the ball will inevitably go over the crossbar after it clears the wall.

inevitable!

The next moment, the football flew out, almost grazing the top of the crossbar.

It's less than ten centimeters taller.

But it's too high.

"Oh! What a pity!"

"That shot was incredibly close to a goal."

"Actually, Ronaldinho should have kicked a little lower; he should have gambled that the England wall wouldn't jump."

In the 83rd and 84th minutes, England substituted Carragher for Neville and Vardy for Joe Cole.

Strengthen defense.

Time consumed.

The match was about to end in the 89th minute.

Robinho feinted repeatedly on the right side before sending a diagonal pass.

Adriano received the ball in the right corner of the penalty area, turned, and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot in one fluid motion.

The standard is very high.

They gave the goalkeeper no time to react.

But Joe Hart made an incredible save, instinctively diving to his feet without needing to think.

These are unpredictable players; they all have incredibly fast reflexes.

Terry cleared the ball with a long kick, and it flew directly across the halfway line.

Vardy's powerful runs and constant acceleration and deceleration confused Juan, allowing him to get to the ball and head it back.

After landing, turn around and rush forward without even thinking.

boom!
Lu Kai met the incoming football with a volley through ball.

The accuracy is poor, but it's quick.

Only this kind of direct, first-pass technique can get the ball out before Vardy is offside.

next moment.

Vardy and the ball flew out at the same time, instantly creating a one-on-one situation.

Dida, who originally wanted to wait and see, did not strike immediately, thus missing his only chance to attack.

Because Vardy had already dribbled into the penalty area.

boom!
Vardy fired from the left side of the penalty spot.

Dida lunged towards the far corner.

But Vardy fired a diagonal shot into the near corner.

“GOAL!!!”

"Dida misjudged the situation!"

"Vardy, who came on as a substitute less than five minutes ago, scores a one-on-one goal!"

"Four to one!"

"England has killed the game!"

"Another super counterattack, and another assist from Lu Kai!"

"Two goals and two assists, Lu Kai dominated this game!"

"Brazil, who had the highest probability of winning the championship before the tournament, is out!"

"The resilience of Lu's England team is too strong!"

"No wonder Stanley was confident enough to remove Lampard and Gerrard. With Lu Kai on the team, this team needs everyone!"

Soon, three whistles sounded.

The whole game is over.

Although the Brazilian players knew the result minutes earlier, they still lay on the ground, with Ronaldo shedding tears of sorrow.

His youth has come to an end.

“Ronaldo.” Lu Kai found Ronaldo and pointed to their jerseys. “You are a legend forever.”

Ronaldo forced a smile and exchanged jerseys with Lu Kai: "They all say I'm an alien, and I think you are too. What planet are you from?"

"Mars?"

Lu Kai said: "B612".

The camera didn't miss this moment either; the handover ceremony between the old and new world number one was deeply moving.

This match also marked the passing of the torch from Brazil to England as the world's number one team. After this World Cup, England's international ranking points will surpass Brazil's, propelling them to the top of the list.

Lu Kai then shook hands with Kaka, Ronaldinho, and others.

I didn't go to them immediately to avoid them misunderstanding.

After all, Lu Kai won the Man of the Match award in this game, which could easily be mistaken for provocation.

In this year's Champions League, after AC Milan eliminated Green Gunners, Kaká did not immediately make eye contact with Lu Kai. Instead, he waited for Maldini, Pirlo and Lu Kai to talk, and then waited for a while before speaking to him.

The media exploded immediately after the match.

Sky Sports: "Lu Kai breaks into the top three in the Ballon d'Or live rankings, closing in on Kaká!"

BBC: "England beat Brazil 4-1, looking poised to win the title!"

Kicker: "After three consecutive major international tournaments, England is aiming for a second consecutive Grand Slam! They're just one World Cup trophy away!"

Gazzetta dello Sport: "Kaka's goal wasn't enough to save the day, Lu Kai's two goals and two assists were phenomenal! Brazil lost because of their lack of unity!"

AS: "Stanley's decision to acquire Gerrard and Lampard proved wise! But with England missing key players, they may struggle to advance in the semi-finals!"

Il Clarín: "Fifteen goals! Ronaldo's total World Cup goals have come to an end, making him the all-time leader, but also bidding farewell to the World Cup forever!"

Bild: "Ronaldo, Luka, and Klose are tied for first place in this tournament's top scorer list. The latter two still have a chance to continue their run!"

(End of this chapter)